Scan barcode
A review by ambershelf
Brothers and Ghosts by Khuê Phạm
4.0
gifted by the publisher
This moving story follows a first-gen Vietnamese German as she visits her estranged relatives in LA from Berlin. Split into 3 POVs, B&G is a poignant exploration of all that's left unsaid—the secrets one keeps for survival and the truth unknown as we run out of time. I was particularly drawn to the two brothers' timelines during the Vietnamese war, which are emotionally rich. In contrast, the present-day narrative feels a bit underdeveloped. Reading B&G made me wonder about my family, especially the two authoritarian regimes my grandparents lived through. At its core, B&G asks us, how do we move forward when we don't know our pasts?
This moving story follows a first-gen Vietnamese German as she visits her estranged relatives in LA from Berlin. Split into 3 POVs, B&G is a poignant exploration of all that's left unsaid—the secrets one keeps for survival and the truth unknown as we run out of time. I was particularly drawn to the two brothers' timelines during the Vietnamese war, which are emotionally rich. In contrast, the present-day narrative feels a bit underdeveloped. Reading B&G made me wonder about my family, especially the two authoritarian regimes my grandparents lived through. At its core, B&G asks us, how do we move forward when we don't know our pasts?